California Black
by EmCo87
Summary: David's little sister Hailey is fifteen, and after finding out about her brother's vampire gang life, decides to go to Santa Carla. New Characters Focuses on The Lost Boys


California Black

There is NOBODY who is as important to me as Christopher. Even now, years after he left home, I still think about him every night. I still dream about him in the few hours I sleep. He is a nightmare, stalking my every move. I wish he was stalking me. Just to see Chris once more would restore my faith, along with my trust, and everything else I had until he left. He was more than an older brother; he was my guidance and father figure. I was thirteen when he left, and it broke my heart. I had only gone through a pain like that once before, and that was when our father left. I was only eight then.

After my father left, Christopher WAS my father. He took care of me, and was the most fun anyone could ever be. I mean, it's not like he was my only sibling. But just now, today, on my fifteenth birthday do I realize that my life will never be fulfilling until I find him again.

I have four siblings. Henna is my oldest sister (now 29) and a mystery to me. She never talks to me, or anyone else for that matter. The only one she ever talked to was Christopher. She is beautiful beyond words, but she doesn't even feel like a sister to me.

Then comes Chris as second oldest. My lost brother, gone mysteriously in the middle of the night on September 2nd, my birthday, exactly two years ago. He was twenty-five. My mother tried vigorously to make Henna tell her, because somehow we all understood that Henna and Chris had a special bond, and if anyone knew where he went, Henna would. But Henna gave nothing. Not a clue or a hint as to where he was. But we all know that she is well aware.

After Chris is Terence. Terry, as we call him. Terry is 20. A steamrolling, fireball of excitement and energy. He is funny, intelligent, and the clumsiest guy I know. He left home two years ago, about the same time that Chris left (Chris is now 27, wherever he is). Today he is visiting though, on account of my birthday. I am so excited to see my own comedian-of-a-brother.

Last of all is me. Hailey Leila Black.

I screamed my lungs out when I saw the old junky Ford crawl its way around the corner an on to my street. Screaming, crying, laughing, and jumping up and down, my older brother Terry lugged his nearly-fallen-apart car into the driveway, "forgetting" to lock it as he ran up the stone walkway to give me a hug.

"I'm hoping someone will take that car while I'm here. Then the old bastard will be their problem." He murmured. I laughed hysterically and gave him another tight hug.

"Hey" he slyly wiggled his finger at me, "go get me a beer and I'll tell you all about college." I nodded and tore away from the walkway and into the kitchen, still laughing. I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sprinted back outside.

"Thanks." He said. I just smiled brightly. He laughed. "You certainly are excited aren't you?"

"Oh yeah!" I said.

He looked down at his beer. I just realized I didn't grab anything for him to open it with.

"That's okay." He said as if reading my mind. "Where there's a will, there's a way. And I WILL have this beer." He said. And with just that he raised the bottle up to his mouth, and put the side of his mouth on the beer. He broke it open with his teeth. I noticed that his one tooth on the side of his mouth was oddly pointed. I wonder what they DO to you at college…

I hurried Terry inside, and took him into the kitchen. Our mother, weary and noticeably growing older made a struggle to get up from her chair as her youngest son came into our ragged apartment dining area. I could already see that this was going to be emotional. Terry is her last son, her only boy. Her prince and middle child. She's dieing, even if nobody else wants to admit it. She is very sick, and has been very sick for over four years. And she isn't getting any better. I don't know what's going to happen to me when she dies. Hopefully she won't drop out until I am eighteen and I can live by myself. If not, then Henna will get a house and I will live with my gothic sister. I can't live with Terry because he's in school. But it isn't the time to think about these things. Maybe a miracle will happen. God knows this family needs one.

"Oh my son. Oh my boy. Help me up now." My mother murmured quietly. Terry rushed over quickly, his comedian act over for the moment. He lifted mom out of her armchair and into his arms. "I can't believe it's you." She exclaimed, gasping. I smiled at them. Mom always loved Terry. EVERYONE always loved Terry. After they hugged, Terry put Mom back into her chair. Terry turned around and picked me up. I gasped in surprise and laughed as he swung me around.

"God, it's great to see you Hailey!" He said. Mom burst into tears. This was normal. Whenever Terry visited, Mom bursts into tears, and then falls fast asleep. Right when I started chuckling to myself about this common chain of events, Mom falls into a restless sleep.

"Shh!" I motioned at Terry. He followed me into the "Living Room". Really, all the room is is one lonely couch and a small broken stereo.

"So. What I really came here for,"

"Wait! What about my birthday?" I declared firmly.

"Well of course. Besides that," he got very quiet "I found Chris."

"Oh my Jesus god Christ oh lord!" I exclaimed.

"Be quiet!" Terry said urgently. "Don't wake up Mom; she doesn't need to hear about this."

"But why not! This is the most amazing awesome thing ever AND it's her son AND she needs to know!" I couldn't believe this was going to be a secret. "What about Henna?" I looked up at the ceiling wondering (as I do often) what my sister does all day up in her room.

"She knows." He said bluntly.

"Ah." I should have known. I can't believe she didn't tell us. I felt a sudden burning in my chest. Anger at my sister for keeping something so important a secret. She is the reason my life has been hell since he left.

"So where was he!" I said, trying to stay quiet.

"In California. A little town along the coast. It's called Santa Carla. I found him there."

I breathed deeply. This is the moment that I had wondered about for two years. The nightmare.

"Okay. So what did he say? Did you tell him to come home? Why did he leave? Why didn't he call?" I started to get aggressively curious. It's definitely my right to know EVERYTHING that went on when Terry found Christopher. Right?

"He didn't give a reason for leaving. But that's not the important part about it."

"What! Then what is!" I nearly screamed at him. He flung his hand over my mouth and muffled my yells.

"Keep quiet Hail, I'll tell you everything. Just slow down, and don't hassle me."

I nodded slowly, and pried his hand away from my mouth. He let it go without struggle.

"Okay listen, you can come with me but you need to know something…about Chris."

I nodded.

"Well…he is a little bit…changed…oddly. It's going to be hard for you to understand, and even harder for you to believe."

I started to get a bit worried. "What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"Nothing! No, it's not like that! He's just…here. Let me put it this way. He is…different then everybody else. He doesn't…like…the sun. He is…older…and…lives with a gang…his…gang."

I got a lot more worried. "Explain." I said quickly.

"He doesn't have a reflection."

"What?"

"He is…a vampire."

I burst out laughing, but stopped when I saw the look on Terry's face. "You are serious?"

He nodded.

"Oh my god….oh…my…GOD!" I yelled. His hand went back to my mouth. I licked it. He took it off. I smiled. Then quickly got serious again.

"Listen, I have to go back to him." He said uncomfortably.

"But…why?" I said. Terry grimaced as I got to the question he had been waiting for. "You are a vampire too?"

"Just half." He said quietly, with his head down. I got up and paced around the living room, which really is only about two steps each way. Then I sat back down.

"You have to take me with you." I said urgently. He automatically started shaking his head.

"Yes you have to!" I said, getting up in his face.

"I can't deal with you Hailey." He said sternly.

"Well you're going to have to because I know now, and I'm coming." It took him a second, and then reluctantly he said okay. I jumped up and ran up the creaky stairs to my room. It only took me two minutes to pack everything piece of clothing I had into my school book-bag. Then I ran back out of my room, and started to go down the stairs when I had a second thought.

I knocked urgently on Henna's bedroom door. It was completely black, as Henna had painted it the summer before. I heard booming Judas Priest for another minute before Henna opened the door.

"What?" she asked hastily.

"I'm leaving. Tell mom. Bye." I said bluntly, and then continued my sprint down the hall and down the stairs while she screamed snippets of "where", "why", and "how long". I got back downstairs, and Terry was waiting for me with a nervous look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

"I can't believe Mom isn't waking up to the racket Henna's making."

"Well she lives with her doesn't she?"

He nodded and opened the front door for me. I said a silent last goodbye to the apartment and my mother, with the heavy feeling that I wouldn't see her again. Terry shut the door silently behind him and we got into his brown Ford.

"Well, I guess I'm happy nobody DID take it." Terry said ironically.

"Nobody would want this piece of junk anyways." I said logically. Terry nodded. He started the car, and after a couple of grunts, the bastard began to move. Terry and I both breathed a sigh a relief as the car picked up speed, and Terry brought me away from the only home I had ever known.

I fell asleep soon after we left Virginia, and stayed asleep for a couple of hours before we stopped for gas. Terry nudged me softly.

"Come on Hailey, I got us some food. Aren't you hungry?" I nodded and smiled. It was great waking up to Terry. Even better waking up to food. He handed me a bag of Doritos and a soda. Then he dug back inside the bag and pulled out a wrapped up hot dog. The hot dog had waterfalls of grease streaming out from each opening at either side. The bread was mushy and soggy, and the hot dog was cold in the middle. Terry smiled cheekily.

"This was the only food?" I asked.

"Sorry." He said honestly. I smiled at him.

"It's okay." I reassured him. "Honestly." His wide grin came back and he hopped into the driver's seat of the Ford and started the engine. Only one difference; this time the motor didn't start.

It seemed like Terry was in the gas station for an hour, when really he was only in there for about ten minutes. Luckily there was a rental car service nearby. We would just have to walk. Stupid hillbilly rednecks won't even give us a ride. So we got out on the gravel road.

"Okay, it should be just down this road…" Terry said glancing at the poorly drawn map the man had made him. "Just down here…." He said twenty minutes later. "Just…oh god this is no use." He admitted. "We need to find a quicker way of transportation." I looked around. I could barely see anything, it was almost midnight and the roads were consumed in darkness. Not even the moon shined enough light for us to see any more than the step in front of us. Terry stopped abruptly. I was hoping that this meant he had an idea. But by the look on his face, his idea was a rather unfortunate one.

"Okay. Hailey, I want you to get on my back. I'm just going to give you a little piggy back ride, okay?" I looked at him with a confused grin.

"Okay?" I said, hoping this wasn't some nasty trick. He got down on his knees and I pulled myself on to his back. He flicked my hair out of his face, and began to walk. Still confused, I asked, "How the hell is this going to help?" Not answering, he started to walk a little bit faster. "Terry?" Faster. "Terry, what the hell?" He got into a sprint. "Terry!" I screamed as his feet began to not only sprint on the gravel, but in the air now too. He got higher and higher until we were completely air born, a good three feet above the ground. I screamed. He stopped when he heard me scream, and dropped with a bam back on the road.

"You have to understand..."

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO UNDERSTAND? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. All vampires can…"

"FLY! ALL VAMPIRES CAN FLY! WELL ALL SEA MONSTERS CAN SWIM BUT YOU DON'T SEE A LOT OF THEM AROUND DO YOU!"

"Okay listen, you don't have to come okay! I am taking you ONLY because you said you would be NO TROUBLE."

I drew silent. I didn't like it when Terry yelled. Being such a bright person, it was only when he got very angry that he yelled.

"I'm sorry." I whimpered quietly.

"That's okay. Just get on my back." He said softly. I climbed back on to his back, but this time I was ready. I held on tight to the collar of his shirt and prayed to god that we would get there alive and well.

Flying should require a license. I mean, I understand that Terry is only a half-vampire, but even half-vampires should know the difference between open road…and trees. I thought vampires could see in the dark! We got to the exact area placed on the map. The Car Rental Station. And I checked with Terry, but it was true. There wasn't anything there but a rock and a couple of tumbleweeds.

"Well then." I smiled.

"Yeah."

"What now?"

"Get on my back. I guess we're flying to Cali."

"Oh lord."

We got there in about a days time flying. And I must say it wasn't too hard falling asleep on Terry's back. He got used to flying after a while, and then we only hit a couple of stray trees.

When we arrived in Santa Carla it was about ten o'clock at night.

"Perfect timing." Terry stated with a satisfactory grin. I grimaced when I thought of what that might mean. When Terry saw me, he got serious.

"Okay Hailey. Now there are some things you have to know. First of all, these aren't friendly creatures. They feed off of the life fluid in humans. This means, I don't want you out of my sight. Also, Christopher doesn't go by Chris anymore. He goes by David."

"Hmm David Black. It has a nice ring to it."

"Right, don't interrupt."

I glared.

"Okay now also Chris, now David, is a leader of a gang called The Lost Boys. They live in a cave near a place called Hudson's Bluff overlooking the point. It's…spacious. We will stay there. Now come on, let's go."

I nodded, and we set off down a boardwalk. I looked out over the sea. It was beautiful. I can see why Chris decided to live here rather than some old dusty apartment in VA.

I saw him before Terry did. He was leaning over a bridge with three other guys, and one girl hopping up and down excitingly behind my brother. Terry saw the girl and laughed. I didn't have time to laugh. All I could look at was him. Here he was the brother who left, standing here smiling and having a great time while he drove our mother to sickness and made my life a living nightmare. He looked different. WAY too different. His naturally wavy blonde hair was spiked up and he was clad in black leather. I did recognize the face, and the bright blue eyes that him, Henna, Terry, and I all posses.

The other people around him were like nothing I had ever seen. There were two guys on his left, and one sulking one on his right. The girl was now pointing at Terry, blushing, and repetitively hopping up and down, and side to side. She had light blonde hair and light blue eyes. She had on a Cabbage Patch Kids tee, and jean shorts. Together with rainbow colored flip flops, she looked like someone straight out of The Mickey Mouse Club. The sullen one to Chris's right had long dark hair falling with grease on either side of a dark, haunting face. The two guys on Chris's left though, were the complete opposite. The one closest to Chris had long blonde hair and a wild grin. The one on the far side had crazy blonde curls and a multicolored patch jacket on. They were both pointing at Terry and me, talking fast to Christopher. Terry looked down at me from the side. I smiled. He took my hand and we walking over together.

Up close, the boys are a lot more intimidating. I stayed as close to Terry as possible.

"Jesus." Chris said darkly as he looked me up and down. Then he turned to Terry, "Why the hell did you bring her?" I shrunk back behind Terry. This was NOT Christopher.

"Ah David don't be such a hard ass, she's cute as anything!" The Mickey Mouse Club Member exclaimed. She took my free hand and dragged me out from behind Terry's back.

"What's your name, little stranger?" The girl asked. She smiled brightly at me. I couldn't help but give a tiny grin.

"Hailey" Chris said. "And she shouldn't be here." The boy on Chris's left, with the wavy blonde hair and wild grin bounded over and patted me on the head.

"I have to agree with Ashley, D, she's adorable. If you don't want her, I'll keep her." He laughed like a maniac. Ashley gave him a disapproving look and turned my attention back to her.

"Don't worry little hopscotch! I'll take care of you! You'll love it here!" She said cheerily. I smiled nervously.

"Okay" I said quietly. Her grin got even wider. So did the sleazes.

"Paul, calm down." Terry said firmly. The blonde's face got stern.

"Now don't YOU start talking like you're the boss. Dorky halfer." He murmured. I guessed that "halfer" had something to do with Terry being a half-vampire. Terry glared at him. Ashley stepped in the middle and smiled at everyone.

"Let's go have pancakes!" She said cheerfully.


End file.
